The Lady of Steinbrekka
Rhea Aralia lived an uneventful life in Virginia, until the fateful night of her kidnapping. Taken to a strange realm of destruction, despair, and mysterious people with dark secrets, the young woman must learn a new way of life to survive.
With the help of her new companions, Rhea discovers the courage to defy the tyrant King Verikhan and his heir, the cleverness to deceive the court, and the power within herself to transform this world of darkness into one of beauty and hope.
Will Rhea triumph over those who seek her destruction, or will she be forever lost in the darkness known as Kaldalangra?
Join Rhea as she fights to take destiny back into her own hands.
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Heart of Kylassame
It has been two years since the reign of the tyrannical King Verikhan has ended, and the realm of Kaldalangra flourishes.
Nyssa has taken her place as Queen of the realm, with her secret love, Sebast, now openly at her side. She rules with a fair hand, striving for justice and prosperity for all of her people.
Rowan and Rhea travel the realm, spreading peace and healing wherever they go. In Kylassame, they have formed a strong bond with friends and spread deep roots in the community.
The people of Kaldalangra are joyful, and life in their world is better than ever before.
But a string of tragedies has the ability to bring Rhea to her knees, and with her, the entire realm. While Rowan struggles to recover the village of Kylassame from a devastating crime, Rhea’s faith in her own strength weakens, with dire consequences.
Re-enter the world of Kaldalangra, and join the adventure as Rhea and Rowan endeavor to continue upon their chosen destiny.
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Soul of Asimina
In the land of Kaldalangra, one woman stands at a crossroads
Sabina de Nespa has known a life of freedom and peace, thanks to the actions of her heroic parents. As a child of royalty, she has kept her intentions pure and her heart guarded, always aware that the crown of the realm may one day rest upon her brow.
When two strangers stumble across her path, she finds her peace shattered as dangerous family secrets begin to emerge, along with a malignant force that threatens to destroy her entire world. These men have the ability to help her rise to brilliant heights, or cause a devastating plunge into darkness.
It is now up to Sabina to continue her parents’ legacy of honor, courage, and strength through adversity. With the fate of Kaldalangra upon her shoulders, she has vowed to follow the path of righteousness, or die trying.
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What made you choose your genre?
By Kristi Strong
Once upon a time, in a land far far away (otherwise known as Minnesota), a young girl fell in love with the fantasy genre.
I’ve loved fantasy as far back as I can remember. For me, the stories with the unicorns and talking bears never lost their charm, and as my reading level increased, so did the complexity of the other worlds. The very first book that I wrote, back in 2nd grade, revolved around a magical vegetable garden that came alive at night (and this was before any of the current cartoons with talking veggies). It was no surprise that I started writing fantasy novels once I “grew up”.
Fantasy provides an escape from every day life, both for the reader and the writer. It allows me to take the challenges and hurts of the real world, and morph them into something a little bigger, a little stranger, and allow them to be separate from the things we are all experiencing in our lives. Creating new worlds is incredibly satisfying and exciting to me, developing new rules of nature and bringing in creatures that are beyond ordinary.
It also allows us to go anywhere, and anytime. Whether it’s back to the time of kings or into the future, under the sea, or into space, there are no boundaries for the fantasy writer. The story can go anywhere, bound only by its own rules and limitations, and without regard to the laws of nature that we find in our own world.
And I like making up cool names, and unicorns.
Read an excerpt from the book:
The Lady of Steinbrekka
Rhea threw up her hands in defense as she saw the man smile. “Hello, little mouse.”
She bolted out of her hole, too frightened to know if she was heading away from the door or towards safety. Direction did not matter; all that mattered was getting away from the person who pursued her. The un-swept floors threatened to betray her as her sneaker soles slid on the years of sand and dirt. She turned the corner as the second man stepped into the aisle, then tripped over a box as she quickly backed up.
“What do you want? I have money, take it, it’s yours.”
The man gave a hollow laugh that echoed off the walls of the basement. Rhea grabbed an old volume off the shelf and threw it at him, using the precious seconds of confusion to force her feet to move and run down the next aisle. She could see the main aisle, could see freedom streaming through the door and took a precious second to inhale for a scream of help. A large hand clamped across her mouth, an arm lifted her from the ground and took that precious freedom away.
“It is not worth it to struggle, little one. You have no chance of winning.”
Rhea caught a finger between her teeth and bit down hard, wildly kicking her feet out to try to contact any body part of her assailant. She growled, “It’s always worth trying.”
Fixing broken computers, wrangling a very spirited little toddler, and creating a world with a tyrant king, are all parts of the average day for Kristi Strong. While she has called Virginia her home for two decades, her head has rested in two countries, three states, and far too many houses to count. She was more than happy to give up her nomadic lifestyle and settle down with her husband, daughter, cat and chinchilla.
While attending James Madison University, she was given the rare opportunity to work as part of an archaeological team on a variety of dig sites in Virginia, including the homes of former Presidents, James Madison and George Washington, civil war sites such as The Stevens’ House and Fort Evans Mississippian Encampment, and a variety of pre-historic hunting sites and camps.
Kristi now uses her extensive studies in human cultures to create her own world in her fantasy novels, beginning with her debut novel, The Lady of Steinbrekka, and continuing with Heart of Kylassame and Soul of Asimina.
Connect with Kristi
Blog: http://strongnovels.blogspot.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/strongnovels
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/strongnovels
Email: Strongnovels@live.com
Kristi will offer a signed paperback copy of The Lady of Steinbrekka, along with a Land of Kaldalangra bookmark prize pack.
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Nice covers